Val Thorens Snow Report: 6th April 2012

As the air is generally warmer, some of the snow falling during the day can be quite wet, occasionally even falling as rain in the lower parts of the valley. Certainly, the air is quite damp as the low, moisture-heavy clouds hang around the town and the higher slopes. As such, some of the snow can be quite heavy on the lower slopes of Val Thorens. Do not let this dampen your spirits, however, as snow has been settling well on the higher parts of resort and has actually given us some of the freshest conditions we have had in weeks. With the ferocity of the sun’s rays lessened by the presence of thick cloud, the snow we sampled on Thursday afternoon on the Blanchot piste felt great underfoot. With the busy Easter slope traffic (ski-schools aplenty), we headed off-piste, expecting to be forced back on by undesirable conditions. Instead we were welcomed by fresh, dry snow which allowed for some precision practice and some speedy off-piste riding off the lips and kickers that litter Blanchot.

Due to the wet conditions and the heavy traffic throughout resort, the snow on the pisted areas had deteriorated quite a bit by mid afternoon. The cold wet air made skiing on the lower slopes quite uncomfortable so we decided to call it a day at around 3pm with some nice off-piste riding under our belts. After experiencing the wetness of the afternoon, we decided to get up earlier this morning and sample the fresher morning snow. And what a fantastic decision that was. We made the slushy, choppy descent past the Funitel de Peclet down to the Moutieres chairlift in an effort to get as high as possible. We took the lift followed by the Funitel de Grand Fond, taking the first left at the top down the Variante red run. The snow at the top was as fresh as we could have hoped for and the dissipating clouds gave us some nice warming rays of sunshine, cutting through the cold air. The nice and wide Variante run is excellent in conditions such as these as you can take it nice and fast but the fresh snow allows for sufficient control. Like many of the pistes in Val Thorens, it is bordered by some interesting off-piste areas and there are plenty of banks and lips to keep freestylers entertained. If that’s not enough for you, this run will take you to the top of the Val Thorens snow park.

After a quick, exciting run down Variante, we took Grand Fond once more in an effort to keep high for the majority of the day. This time we traversed along the Niverolles blue run at the top which becomes Fond slightly further down. These blues are nice and easy with the occasional steep section and some fair off-piste, but they are essentially used for their access to the north facing slopes of Val Thorens. Heading down towards the busy Chalet du Thorens intersection, we took the Rhodos red run where the snow was slightly softer than up top but still offered fantastic conditions for skiers and boarders. Rhodos may be a bit more straightforward than the adjacent Fond blue (which is particularly good for its off-piste jumps) but this is yet another nice quick run with banks either side. As we approached the bottom the slushy snow again reared its ugly head so we made one last attempt to keep our heads above water. We ended the day with a descent down Moraine, the nice simple blue run which takes you back down into resort.

I never thought I would be saying this, but with only a few weeks left of the season, we have been forecast up to 20cm of snow next week. After some light showers at the weekend, we are expecting intermittent heavy snowfall between Tuesday and Wednesday with the sun occasionally poking its head out to say hello. Temperatures will be mostly below freezing which should keep the new stuff nice and fresh for your Easter week in the mountains.